!!!! WHY OH WHY !!!!

stevo01 · Jan 10, 2017

rayn said:
My daughter was born! I'm a gear head and have always wrenched on cars, mostly old air cooled VW. I would spend hours in the garage and the wife did her thing. When my daughter came along I finally jumped from fresh to saltwater tanks knowing I would send more time inside with the tank/s and her teaching her about them.

Still in it to this day and she knows the fish and corals as I do. Her favorite fish so far are dwarf lionfish, though she can pic out many more.

Being a gearhead was my excuse for many years. I got tired of building hotrods, well my back has....

stevo01 · Jan 10, 2017

Elementalj said:
I had a dream. A dream of spending my life working at the research station on pigeon key. Circumstances on the other hand piled reality against a biology degree so I chose a natural talent in its place. The aquarium hobby in every way keeps me connected to that dream.

Pigeon key, my dad used to tell me crazy stories. I think he was trying to keep me from going there on my own. We always called it monkey island, and could see it out the living room window

Elementalj · Jan 10, 2017

stevo01 said:
Pigeon key, my dad used to tell me crazy stories. I think he was trying to keep me from going there on my own. We always called it monkey island, and could see it out the living room window

Yeah, it had a reputation for who Ol'Henry made live there durning the rail construction. When I was a kid, Mote and UF I believe had a facility there. Now it's just occupied by its caretakers and the stream of winter wingers.

But what a place to live! Isolated from the lunacy of the mainland, surrounded by the sea. Sounds like paradise to me!

Bluefish9 · Jan 10, 2017

For as far back as I could remember, I was always obsessed with the ocean. I grew up on the coast, fishing and boating were introduced to me as soon as I could stand up. I could just look at the ocean any day if the week and I get this feeling like I cant breathe and nothing else in the world matters.

Now years later, I still live by the water and introduced my kids to that way of life. My kids were on my boat since they were literally one week old. They learned how to handle the boat and they are into the fish tank as well... they come to the LFS and pick fish, they name them, my son helps with builds.
I dont know... its just who I am and always will be. I am ocean.

stevo01 · Jan 10, 2017

Bluefish9 said:
For as far back as I could remember, I was always obsessed with the ocean. I grew up on the coast, fishing and boating were introduced to me as soon as I could stand up. I could just look at the ocean any day if the week and I get this feeling like I cant breathe and nothing else in the world matters.

Now years later, I still live by the water and introduced my kids to that way of life. My kids were on my boat since they were literally one week old. They learned how to handle the boat and they are into the fish tank as well... they come to the LFS and pick fish, they name them, my son helps with builds.
I dont know... its just who I am and always will be. I am ocean.

Well, we are 90% H2O, our NaCl salinity is very similar to ocean water, and there are billions of micro organisms living in/on us. I agree, Ocean you are.

GoVols · Jan 10, 2017

I never let anybody name a fish.
Once you name one, it's like the curse of death is hovering

stevo01 · Jan 10, 2017

GoVols said:
I never let anybody name a fish.
Once you name one, it's like the curse of death is hovering

Wow i was just talking about this at work today! Its true, i stopped naming fish a long time ago, and i believe in it!

Bluefish9 · Jan 10, 2017

Im not a tyrant Father... I let the kids name them. Who cares. If it makes the hobby even slightly more enjoyable for them, Im all for it.

ALs FLorida Corals · Jan 10, 2017

Gf bought me a 10 gal tank for my birthday .. 30 days later than turned into a 65 gal. 6 months later into a 125.....3 months after that 180 gal... and thats where she drew the line haha. In reality , i enjoy having my own piece of ocean.

Harris3005 · Jan 10, 2017

Bluefish9 said:
Im not a tyrant Father... I let the kids name them. Who cares. If it makes the hobby even slightly more enjoyable for them, Im all for it.

I'm the same! When you have kids and you have clownfish and a regal Tang as I do, naming them becomes inevitable thanks to a certain movie franchise!

GoVols · Jan 10, 2017

Here's my father's old custom. Picture took in 1987.

Mattsaddiction · Jan 10, 2017

i walked into a LFS and saw saltwater for the first time (900 gallon display) and was sold since

GoVols · Jan 10, 2017

This is a 250 custom that Oceanic Systems built for me in 1995.

GoVols · Jan 10, 2017

Oceanic Systems built the bottom in 3 layers.

GoVols · Jan 10, 2017

GoVols · Jan 10, 2017

GoVols · Jan 10, 2017

The wife

gave up the kitchen island for this

tcarter1936 · Jan 10, 2017

Simple... I got a deal on a used 55 gal from a co-worker and since it will only cost a hundred dollars and came with a state of the art canister filter, what's the harm. Lol haha, I was so naive but wouldn't change it for the world. Well I did change the tank several times and sadly gave up the nitrate canister.